Academic Programs

PPE IS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM designed around the historical, methodological and theoretical connections between philosophy, politics and economics.

Students who major in PPE undertake a rigorous and partly self-designed course of study that explores the theoretical foundations of political and economic thought and relates them to contemporary affairs.

Each prospective PPE student must submit a formal PPE proposal that indicates a general topic or theme that will serve as the focus of the major and that establishes which core courses and electives will count towards the major. Students are also expected to complete a senior research project.

The PPE program is overseen by a committee consisting of one faculty member from each of the PPE departments. The committee must approve the individual program of each major.

Professor of Philosophy Tony Lisska directs a lively discussion in an honors seminar

Eighteen courses are required for the PPE major, compared to the more typical load of nine courses for most majors. In effect, the PPE major is a double major distributed across three departments.

PPE majors must complete the following requirements:

Students in political science professor Emmett Buell's 'Selecting the President' class traveled to New Hampshire to observe presidential primary politics first-hand

Many professors in the philosophy, political science and economics departments teach classes that help fulfill the PPE requirements. Listed below are the three professors that comprise the PPE committee:

Assistant Professor of Political Science Eric Boehme joined the faculty at Denison in 2005. He earned a B.A. from DePaul University and an M.A. and a Ph.D from Rutgers University. Boehme teaches and does research in political theory, American politics and the law. His research focuses on the political development of citizenship in the United States, race and ethnicity, continental philosophy, social theory, tort law and duty to rescue law. Boehme teaches classes in ancient, modern and contemporary political theory, democratic theory, law and politics, race and politics and American institutions.

Associate Professor of Economics Theodore A. Burczak joined the faculty in 1995. He teaches Monetary Economics and Macroeconomics. Burczak earned his B.A. at SUNY-Binghamton and his Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. His interests include macroeconomic theory, the history of economic thought, economic justice, and political economy.

Associate Professor of Philosophy Barbara Fultner joined the faculty at Denison in 1995. She earned a B.A. from Simon Fraser University, an M.A. from McGill University and a Ph.D. from Northwestern University. She teaches courses in philosophy of language, the history of modern philosophy and philosophy of feminism among others. Her research interests lie at the cross-roads of analytic and continental philosophy, with a focus on theories of meaning and social practice.